Burn That Bridge When We Come To It
by Artemis-chan of Redwing
Summary: CH. 9 UP Sometimes, it takes a little push to realize what's in front of your face. Soulmates are something that so few find. Here is a story of a few who did. Rating for language!
1. ichi

**Disclaimer:**  I own Jill.  That's about it.  I also own the contents of her bag.  Therefore, don't sure me, onegai!  Title belongs to Jimmy Buffett.

Burn That Bridge When We Come To It 

Love.  It's sounds like such a simple concept, but it's not.  I mean, one would expect that most everyone could find _someone to love in his or her life.  And maybe that's true.  Maybe we're all destined to love, truly love just one other person, regardless of race or gender or ethnicity or anything else this society puts taboos on.  And maybe, just maybe, time is one of those variables._

This is a story of soulmates.  I don't know how many, nor do I know yet the outcome of this tale.  I know this, though.  None in this tale remain unchanged, and no one said it had to be a happy story.

Part 1 

She was more hurt than angry.  She knew that she should have been pissed, especially because of the almost callous way he'd done it.  But couldn't they have worked things out?  So what if they lived all the way across the city from each other, or that neither of them could drive?

Maybe…but no, she crushed the thought.  For the first time in her life she'd been really happy in a relationship, and this guy had to break her heart and throw it at her feet, over AOL Instant Messenger nonetheless.  Her friends had helped her through it, but like they said, breaking up is hard to do.

She was never quite sure what happened that evening two weeks after the breakup.  Everything had seemed normal as she walked out of track practice (she didn't run, just threw javelin and discus) with her green swim bag(1) of clothes for almost any weather for practice.  She was in her lovely pair of black microfiber pants (the kind that zipper off to become shorts) with about a dozen pockets as well as a black tank top and her sneakers.

She had just put on her headphone and CD player to listen to "Newsies" while waiting for her sisters when it felt as if she was being jerked to the side.   And suddenly, she was most definitely _not_ in Kansas anymore.  Or Pittsburgh, rather.

For one thing, there were definitely not that many old, turn-of-the-century buildings near her school.   In fact, there was almost _nothing_ near her school.  The road was now no longer familiar black asphalt but rather dirty cobblestone.  These facts, however, were pushed to the back of her mind when she was knocked to the ground.

She realized as she fell on her bag that is was warmer here, and that her CD player and headphones had just gone flying out of her hands and down the street.  "Shit," she muttered.  As she knelt and leaned over to pick it up she felt someone staring at her.

A quick glance up identified her observer as a tall young man in clothes that were distinctly turn-of-the-century:  long-sleeved button down shirt, vest, breeches that looked a bit too short, socks, and boots.  All of his clothes were in shades of gray and brown, even the gray cap worn backwards on his head.  Underneath, tufts of dark brown hair could be seen.  She quickly looked down again, needing her vision to pick up herself and her bag, CD player still clutched in her hand.

The boy hadn't said a word the whole time.  He was, she could tell, staring at her and it was unnerving.  She did not consider herself pretty, not in the modern sense of the word, and the last person who had said she was had broken her heart.  The way he was looking, however, made her extremely nervous.  She smiled somewhat anxiously at him as her public relations training kicked in.

"Can I help you?"  Her voice sounded shrill in her own ears, but it brought the boy out of his stupor.  She could see his cheeks redden slightly.

"Oh…uh…sorry.  I-I ran into you, sorry."  She smiled; he was stuttering, and it was kind of cute.  From his attire, he looked to be a-

"…Newsie.  Me name's Snitch."  The boy had continued to talk while she was thinking.  He seemed a bit more at ease now.

"It's okay.  My name's Jill," she said, looking him in the eye.  Maybe he would be nice and not think she was insane when she asked her next question.  She had her suspicions, but still…  "Could you please tell me where I am?"

"Manhattan, o' course."  Oh dear, he was giving her that are-you-sure-you've-got-all-your-marbles look.  She colored slightly and looked to the ground, muttering a thank-you.  That was when she noticed several things: 1) he had some sort of orangey-yellow pouch hanging from his waist and 2) his pile of papers was sitting on the ground next to him and they were starting to fly away in the wind.

She quickly dropped to the ground and began gathering the papes.  Snitch seemed to have just noticed as well and quickly joined her.  She did now, however, pay any attention to the papers until they were all gathered and she was handing them to Snitch.  When she finally did, the date seemed to be almost printed in bold type, jumping out at her.  Her eyes widened and she stared in shock until the Newsie, Snitch, put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?"  His question was sincere, that much she could tell.

"Uh, yeah.  Sorry, just had a bit of a shock.  I'm a bit lost.  Do you know someone who might be able to help me find my way home?"

Fortunately, he accepted her somewhat shaky excuse.  "Yeah," he said, "I'll take ya to the Lodgin' House just as soon as I'se done sellin me papes.  You don' mind waitin, do ya?"  He looked at her a little anxiously.

She chuckled softly.  "No, not at all.  Should I just wait here?"  She indicated a nearby bench.

"Shoah.  Shouldn' take me too long."  With that, the newsboy moved on down the street, yelling his "improved" headlines.

****************

Snitch had been more than a bit surprised when the girl had just _appeared_ on the sidewalk.  He hadn't meant to run into her, honestly!  One second he was walking down the street, trying to sell his papes, and the next he's knocked this strange-looking girl to the ground.

What a strange girl, too!  Dressed all in black (black trousers, even!) with a shirt that showed a scandalous amount of skin.  No woman, in his mind, should show that much skin outside of her home.  Her hair was a dark blonde that was somewhat messily cropped close to her head.  She wore glasses and, he determined, had pretty hazel eyes.  The most shocking thing, though, was the first word out of her mouth.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath, and he could just barely hear her.  He just couldn't stop staring at her.  Even when she looked up at him, he just could not tear his eyes away.  It was only when she spoke that he was jerked back to reality once more.

"Oh…uh…sorry.  I-I ran into you, sorry.?  He wanted to kick himself for stuttering like that.  He was sixteen, dammit, not twelve!  She smiled at him.  Thus encouraged, he kept talking.  "I'se only a Newsie.  Me name's Snitch."

She looked him in the eye, surprising him.  Few aside from his roommates did that.  "It's okay," she said.  "My name's Jill."  A fleeting look passed across her face.  "Could you please tell me where I am?"  Her accent was endearing, he thought.  Not all hoity-toity and most definitely not from New York.  But even if she wasn't from around here, she'd still know where she was, right?

"Manhattan, o' course."  Maybe she wasn't all there in the head.  She broke eye contact by looking down.  He realized when he heard her gasp that his papes, which had fallen to the ground when he'd run into her, were blowing away.  They both quickly gathered the papers.  Inside, he was bemoaning his absentmindedness.  She handed him the remaining papers, glanced at the headline, and went stock-still.  It worried him.

"Are you alright?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Uh, yeah.  Sorry, just had a bit of a shock.  I'm a bit lost.  Do you know anyone who might be able to help me find my way home?"  While she sounded confidant, she definitely didn't look it.  Other people he knew would have left her in the streets right then and there.  However, despite his slight misgivings, he really couldn't just leave her there.  It went against his moral code, however shaky that might be.

"Yeah, I'll take ya to the Lodgin' House just as soon as I'se done sellin' me papes.  You don' mind waitin', do ya?"  He briefly wondered what he would do if she did mind, but something told him she wasn't like that.

To his surprise, she started laughing a little.  "No," she shook her head, "not at all.  Should I just wait here?"  She motioned to a bench about five feet away.  He nodded with relief.

"Shoah.  Shouldn' take me too long."  He moved away from the strange girl ('Jill' his mind insisted) as she settled down on the bench with her bag that was an unnatural green color.  He glanced quickly down at the evening headline to refresh his memory.  Nothing spectacular.  He sighed.  It was getting on towards five and he only had about a quarter of his original papes left.

He though for a moment before moving down the street toward the near corner to work his magic on the passers-by and filch a few wallets if he could.  They didn't call him Snitch for nothing.

Before the end of an hour all of his papers were sold, surprisingly enough, though his restless hands had not been met with success.  Whistling, he moved back down the street to where he had left the strange girl, Jill.

Snitch saw, with slight surprise, that she had put on a short-sleeved button-down shirt that somewhat hid her "feminine attributes" with its large size.  She sat serenely, slouching with horrible posture and reading a book.  He wasn't sure but…did that book have a paper cover?  He shook his head, dispersing the confusing thoughts as he approached her.

"Ehy," he said as he sat down next to her.  She didn't acknowledge him.

He tried again.  "Ehy," he stated, a little bit louder.  Maybe she just hadn't heard him.

Still no response.  Snitch was starting to get frustrated.  "Ehy," he said for the third time, this time waving his hand between her face and her book.  She looked up and blinked, startled.

"Oh, hi," she said, smiling sheepishly at the expression on his face.  "I zoned out, didn't I?"  Not quite sure what she meant, but understanding the gist of it, he nodded.

"I'se done sellin foah taday.  Let's head home," he said as he stood and held out a hand to help her up.  Jill took advantage of his proffered hand, then turned and put the book in her bag, which she slung over her shoulder.

"Let's go then," she said cheerfully, somehow managing to look excited and worried at the same time.  The two walked in awkward silence for a while before his curiosity got the better of him.

"So, where ah ya from?"  She jumped a bit when he spoke.  She seemed to be debating something internally before she answered him.

"Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania," Jill replied, trying to sound casual but failing.  Now Snitch was even more intrigued.

"Really?  Dat's pretty far away.  How'd ya get heah?"  This time Jill noticeably stiffened at the question.  Snitch immediately felt guilty for making her uncomfortable.  "Sorry, I'se don' mean ta intrude," he apologized.

She shrugged her shoulders and looked about to make a reply when he announced, "We're heah.  Welcome to da Newsboys' Lodgin' House.  C'mon, most ah da guys'll be back by now.  Maybe one o' dem can help ya get home."  He led her up the stoop to the entrance.  Inside could be heard the noisy ruckus of boys in the evening.  Snitch could feel Jill take a deep breath before entering.  They stepped through the doorway.

(1) My swim bag is this frickin' huge bag similar to bags that soccer players use.  Let me just say that it's large and con hold quite a bit.

**A/N:**  Well, this is the first part of my first Newsies fic.  I really only have a vague idea what is going on and who will be involved.  My friends, upon reading a slightly rougher draft of this asked if they could be in it too.  I told them I'd consider it. ^_^  I'm evil sometimes.  On a different note ::chord can be heard in background:: Jill is based very closely on myself.  My now-ex-boyfriend did indeed dump me over AIM, and I had not even the slightest idea it was coming.  I was rather upset about it for a while, and still get depressed spells.  Anyway ::perks up:: I hope this wasn't too bad.  I've noticed I tend to have a problem with dialogue.  Notice there really ain't that much in this part.  I'm working on it. ^_^;;;  Also, I think I'm going to change my format and put my notes at the bottom now. ^_~

Please review!


	2. ni

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Part 2

The lobby room was only about half full at that time of night. It was amazing how few boys actually noticed Jill and Snitch enter the Lodging House. A few looked up from whatever they happened to be doing with appraising eyes, and then went back to their tasks. A few in the back though, called out greetings to Snitch.

"Ehy Snitch!" The somewhat short Italian boy in the back called out. Sitting next to him was a taller boy with dirty blond hair and a patch over his left eye, and on the Italian's other side was a smaller black boy. Snitch led her through the small crowd to his friends.

"Fellas, this is Jill. She needs some help getting home," Snitch said, introducing her and explaining her problem. She received scattered hellos. "Jill, dis is Racetrack, Kid Blink, and Boots." He pointed in turn to the Italian, patch-boy, and the Negro.

"Hi," Jill said, felling rather awkward. She always had trouble when she was introduced to people. Damn her shyness!

Racetrack looked up from the cards he was shuffling. "Do you know how ta play?" he asked.

"Play what?" Jill was confused, and praying he didn't say poker. She had not the slightest idea how to play poker.

"Pokah."(1)

Jill winced. "Shit," she muttered. A little louder, she continued, "No, I don't know how to play poker. You know how to play Spit?" She ignored the looks from the boys. They seemed a bit unnerved to hear her talk like that, but if the date on that paper was true… She stopped her thoughts from going there.

Race looked at her curiously. "Spit? Nevah hoid o' that one." Jill grinned.

"If I may?" She held out her hand for Race's cards. "Now," she began as she shuffled, "I don't claim to be an expert, but I've played my fair share of games. First, this is a two person game." The others, who had been watching rather intently, backed up a bit to give Jill and Racetrack room.

"Now, you split the deck." She appropriately dealt out half of the deck to her opponent and half to herself on a small coffee table. "Lay out your cards in five piles in a Solitaire layout, like this." Race copied what Jill did, wondering where this was going.

"Okay, here comes the somewhat confusing part. At the same time, you and I are going to set down one card each from the 'Spit pile' in our hands. The point of this game is to get rid of all your cards. Cards can be set down in numerical order, and Aces connect Kings and Twos. You can't set down doubles, as in no identical cards on top of each other. As soon as your five piles run out, slap your hand down on the lesser pile and pick it up. That'll be your hand for the next round. Also, we'll be playing one handed. Does all that make sense?"

Racetrack seemed to be thinking about it. After a few moments he nodded. "Makes sense ta me," he said. Jill grinned.

"Ready…set…Spit!" The two flipped over their cards and the game began. It was only a few minutes before both ran out of cards to play; though there were still cards in their hands.

"Now what?" asked Race.

"Now, we Spit again." And they did. Several times, before Jill won the round. 

They were just setting up for the next round when a very familiar voice somewhere behind Jill said, "Ey you. Ey you with the face."(2)

Jill whipped around, searching the small crowd that had gathered. It couldn't be… Why would she be here? Not that Jill objected, but why? Then she spotted them.

Entering the lobby were four figures, two male, two female. The males were both young men in their teens, one dressed in dark grays with a red bandanna around his neck and dirty blond hair, the other in green and brown with a cap covering his curly brown hair. It was the two young women, however, who caught Jill's stare.

Neither was dressed appropriately for the time period, both in blue jeans and T-shirts. The taller blond carried a book bag while the slightly shorter strawberry-blond(3) carried nothing, but walked with a bit of a hobble.

Jill was in shock. They were here? If that was true, then who else had been brought along for the ride? After a few moments, she broke out of her shock.

"Ey you!" she called out. Jill smiled to see the blond's head whip around, trying to find the source. Finally, the two new girls spotted her. Jill grinned cockily and waved with a wink. The two girls' eyes went wide and they rushed to make their way through the crowd to her.

"Jill! Luna! I can't believe you guys are here too!" Jill said. Race, Snitch, Boots, and Kid Blink looked at her oddly when she said her own name. The strawberry-blond practically threw herself at Jill.

"Hi Lunar," Jill greeted in an almost exasperated tone, though she was smiling fondly at the girl. The tall blond was a bit more reserved in her greeting.

"Hi Jill."

"Hi Jill"

The two girls giggled a bit, and hugged as old friends do. Jill1 grinned at Jill2. "You let me hug you, I see," she said. Jill2 just shrugged.

"What can I say? It's not every day something like this happens." Just then the tall blond boy they had walked in with sauntered over.

"You ladies happen ta know each oddah?" he asked. His accent, Jill1 noticed, was not as pronounced at Racetrack's, but was still noticeable.

Jill1 grinned. "Of course we do. Jill and Luna are two of my best friends." The other boy who had walked in with them looked up in confusion.

"Luna? I t'ought you'se said yoah name was Katie," he said in a soft voice.

Luna, or Katie, or whatever you wanted to call her, spoke up. "It is, but Jilly and I met at work, where we have to use nicknames. Mine's Luna, hers is Artemis." The boy nodded in understanding.

"Me name's Mush," he said, "and that's Jack Kelly over theah." He indicated the blond cowboy. "We'se calls him Cowboy sometimes." Jill1 noticed Luna's eyes light up at the word "cowboy." Her friend, being a horseback-riding instructor at their Girl Scout camp, had always had a penchant for cowboys and horses. If the two happened to come in the same package, all the better. She smiled at Mush.

"I'm Jill, in case you haven't noticed." The other boys laughed slightly. The conversation was about to continue when Racetrack spoke up.

"Ehy, Jill, can we finish this?"

"Oh, right!" Jill1 scrambled back to her seat as Jill2 and Luna leaned over her shoulder. Jill1 and Race began dealing out the cards for their second round.

"Whatcha playin'?" Two very different voices sounded in unison. Jill2 looked at Mush, finding it odd that they would have the same train of thought.

"Spit." That was not only the answer but the cue to start as well.

*********

Snitch was having a most interesting time watching the girl he had found play cards with Racetrack. One of the few odd things about it, though, was the fact that her two friends, Luna and Jill, seemed to be thinking nothing of the fact that she was playing cards like that. Also, the two new girls seemed to be dressed in strange clothing as well, nothing like a proper lady would wear. It baffled Snitch to think that women would wear clothing like that. Maybe, his befuddled mind offered, it was custom where they came from, though the last he had heard, fashions hadn't changed that much from New York to Pittsburgh.

Either way, it seemed like his Jill was almost beating Race at a card game. This was phenomenal news to the newsboys, though it could have just been that Race was new to the game and hadn't figured out how to rig it yet.

Scratch that, it seemed that Jill had won. Good for her, he thought. Someone needed to show that Italian his place. The girls, as the rest of the introductions were being made, were getting ready to teach Race a new card game.

"Okay," his Jill said, "first you need to deal out all of the cards in the deck evenly to all of the players. This one can have quite a few players, though we'll stick with this for now because we're teaching and not really playing yet." The cards were dealt accordingly, and Race moved to take a look at his hand, but the other Jill stopped him.

"Not allowed to look," she said. Race sighed, probably thinking about how hard this game would be to rig. Snitch's Jill continued her explanation.

"How about this time we just start playing and I'll tell you the rules as we encounter them, seeing as how we're not really playing yet." Then she smiled, and Snitch couldn't help but wonder about her. His attention was diverted, however, when Itey walked through the door. With a girl on his arm.

"Ehy, Itey!", "Who's dis?", and "Finally got yoself a goil, eh?" came from around the room. Jill, Jill, and Luna looked up from the table curiously. The Jill, his Jill's eye went wide and her mouth went slack.

"IVY?" she practically yelled across the room.

I am absolutely horrible at poker. I have not the slightest idea of how to play. ^_^;; The whole "Ey you. Ey you with the face" thing is something my friends and I do. We talk in these really weird voices and it's really rather funny. She claims she's a strawberry-blond, but my dad calls her a redhead. I tend to agree, at least in the winter. ^_^;;; You know I love you hon! ****

A/N: Well, here's chapter two. Much kudos to Ivy for helping me work this schtuff out. I'm leaving for Chicago with my marching band on Thursday and I wanted to get this posted before we left. Yes, I will be calling Luna Luna and I'm not yet sure how to distinguish between the two Jills. Yes, one is me and one is one of my best friends. We don't look anything alike. Things to look forward to: finding out who exactly Ivy is, and maybe a sneak peak at happenings in Brooklyn. Not quite sure yet.

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Disclaimer: Do you really think I own these boys? 'Cause if I did, you wouldn't be allowed to see them. ^_^; I do, however, own one of the Jills. The other girls belong to themselves.

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Shout Outs:

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Jaede Loriele Conlon: Well, here's what's gonna happen, and I hope you're not angry! I've never had someone threaten to be angry if I don't update. ^_^;; No, I don't play soccer, I swim, but I have friends who play soccer so I know what to equate the size of my swim bag to. So, since I've updated, now you can review! ^_^

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Lil Rain Angel: Of course your review wasn't meaningless! And there will be plenty more Snitch to come, trust me. ^_~

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Gambler: Thanks! ^_^

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Sami: Yes, soccer bags are freakin' huge…so are swim bags. ^_^;; And you nearly used one of my favorite phrases, "frickin' huge." My friend Jill always laughs when I say that. I'm not sure why. ^_^


	3. san

Part 3 

Everyone in the room turned to stare at the door where Itey stood with a short blond girl dressed in attire similar to the other girls'.  She wore a pair of somewhat tight blue jeans and a dark brown ruffled tank top that showed of her slight tan.  This newest girl was oblivious to the others' presence until Jill1 yelled her name.  Her eyes widened in disbelief and all that could be heard was a less-than-soft "Damn" from her lips.

"What the Hell are you doing here?"  Both girls asked incredulously of the other.  Jill1 seethed.

"Y'know, it's one thing to have my best friends here, but another thing entirely when my **sister** shows up!" she exclaimed.  Ivy snorted.

"You think I like it any better?" she asked, moving towards her sister.  No one else in the room had moved a muscle since she'd come in the door.  That is, until Jill2 and Luna burst into giggles.  The sisters glared at them

"I'm sorry you guys," Jill2 gasped out, "but you look so funny!"  She was overcome by a fresh bout of giggles.  The sisters looked at each other, and started laughing as well.  Several newsboys sighed in the obviously released tension.  The crowd parted as Ivy made her way back to her sister, dragging along a rather shocked and surprised Itey.  As they reached the group, Snitch took his friend off of her hands and turned to watch the proceedings.

**********

Racetrack also leaned back to observe these strange young women.  Jill, the first one, the one with the sister, was an interesting girl.  Her dark blond hair was as short, if not shorter than some of the boys' and she was obviously dressed in men's clothing.  This had shocked him at first, but he took it with a grain of salt, as he did most everything.  When she'd started to teach him the new game, Spit, he'd been intrigued.  There wasn't a card game around that he didn't know, though good old Poker was his favorite.  Except, she'd gotten one up on him.  He honestly didn't know that game, and he was puzzled.

Then, those other two girls had come in.  Jill and KatieLuna, or something like that.  The redhead was a confusing one.  Dressed in strange trousers and what looked like a loose men's undershirt, she'd been called Luna by the first Jill, but then they'd said her name was Katie…  Race let the matter drop, focusing on the second girl.

This girl was taller than the other two, and she also wore the same kind of trousers the redhead had.  Her shirt, however, was slightly smaller and tighter, emphasizing her figure, which was by no means large but also not so thin as the others.  She seemed…well-muscled sounded right.  And her name!  It was slightly unusual for these two friends to have the same name, and such an uncommon one at that.

They'd cheered on the first Jill during Race's first game of Spit.  Hell, they'd even cheered on Race.  It was nice to have someone actually cheering him on in a game, instead of jabbin' at him for cheating.

They'd been about to teach him another card game, Egyptian Rat Something, when Itey'd walked in.  That had caused the most interesting reaction out of his teacher.  When she'd yelled about sisters, Race knew his weren't the only eyes to bug out.  Those two, sisters?!?  It didn't even look possible.  Not those two.

The newest girl's name was Ivy.  She was shorter than the others by a good several inches.  Her hair was really blond, more golden yellow than the second Jill's.  She also was wearing the odd looking trousers, and some kind of shirt that showed more skin than half of the hookers in the city did.  However, no one really seemed to be noticing it.  Except perhaps Itey, but the boy was in shock as it was, so he couldn't be blamed.

Now it seemed as though the siblings were about to have a little chat, and they were coming to sit next to him.  He moved a bit to the side so they'd have room.

"Ives, this is Racetrack, Mush, Kid Blink, Boots, and Snitch."  Jill pointed to each Newsie accordingly as his name was said.  The boys nodded greetings.  "Guys, this is my sister Ivy."

"Who's older?"  It was Blink who voiced that question.  Jill scowled.  Ivy beamed.

"Me," Ivy declared, grinning.

"By a lousy minute and a frickin' half," Jill stated, her scowl lightening with humor, as if this were an old joke.  Race found himself wondering when they were gonna finish teaching him the game, and voiced his opinion to the crowd.

"Ehy, when ah ya gonna finish teachin me da game?"  Jill-the-sister grinned sheepishly.

"Uh, right now?"  Ivy, Jill-without-the-sister, and Luna all sighed in unison.

"What ah ya teachin' 'im?"  It seemed that Itey had finally returned to the world of the living.

Jill smiled again.  "Egyptian Rat Screw," she stated simply.

Ivy's eyes lit up.  "Sweet!  Can I help?"

"Shoah," Race said, hoping to prevent any further family problems.  Ivy joined in the game, and she ended up owning on everyone.  Including Racetrack.  Especially Racetrack.  After the game the subject of the girls' lodging was brought up.

"Well," said Mr. Kloppman, who had been watching the whole evening, "I guess they can stay here.  I've got an extra room with room enough for you young ladies."  And there was much rejoicing.

***************

That evening, the girls settled down into their room for some 'girl talk.'  Jill1 was rather intrigued to hear how her friends had arrived in this time.  Big Jill (Jill2) was first.

"Well," she said, "Luna and I arrived at the same place, some street corner somewhere.  As soon as we got here, we ran into, quite literally, Jack and Mush.  It was odd though.  It seemed like we'd been purposely put there to be run into by those guys.  And let me tell you, Mush has one _fine_ set of abs."  She winked and laughed with the other girls.

"Well, I don't know about you, but that Cowboy would look mighty fine on a horse," Luna quietly declared.  This caused even more laughter.

"Something kinda like that happened to me too," Ivy said.  "I was heading over with Heather to get the car and then I was here and being run into by Itey.  Not that I objected much, mind you, but I still wonder why."

Jill related her own story, and the girls sat in thought for a moment.  Then Jill said, "I wish I could check my email.  The email, the email, what what, the email."  Ivy grinned.

"Welcome to Home Star Runner dot net," she said in a somewhat silly voice.  The she whispered, "It's dot com."  Back to the silly voice, "Oh, right.  Welcome to Home Star Runner dot net.  It's dot com!"  Big Jill spoke next.

"And the Trogdor comes in the NIGHT!"(1)  "Night" was rather high pitched, and it seemed like there was some suspicious thumping from the other side of the door.  Little Jill (Jill1) raised her eyebrow at her friends, shifting her eyes significantly toward the closed door.  The other girls nodded.

They rose quietly and crept to the door.  With a flourish of sorts, Luna flung the door open, sending quite a few newsboys tumbling to the ground.  The girls looked on with amusement as Race, Snitch, Mush, Jack, Snipeshooter, Itey, and Dutchy attempted to untangle themselves.

"Whaddya do that foah?" Race exclaimed.  Little Jill sighed.

"Let's just suffice it to say that we don't appreciate you boys dropping any eaves on us," she said with a slight roll of her eyes.  The boys just looked a bit puzzled.

"Whatcha use so many woids foah?" Snipeshooter asked.  Little Jill shrugged.

"Because I can, mostly.  I know what they are, and if anyone around me doesn't, well, that's their problem."  The other girls rolled their eyes and nodded behind her back, indicating that this was indeed the case.

"Anyway," Ivy said, clearing the somewhat glazed looks from the boys' faces, "what were you doing outside our door at this time of night?"  Realizing the implications of her words, most of the boys, Snipes especially, blushed and lowered their eyes to the ground.  Racetrack, however, was one of the few who didn't.

"We'se heah to collect yoah rent foah da night," he explained while winking at them.  The girls just smiled slightly at his attitude.

"How about you give us a few minutes to organize things a bit here, and tell Kloppman we'll be down to pay the rent," Luna intervened while beginning to shoo the boys out the door.  A pleading look from Jack almost stopped her, but she knew she couldn't fall that fast.  It just wasn't possible.  Not after what happened before.

*************

Mush waited only partially patiently outside of the door to the girls' room.  He really wanted to see Jill again, the one _he_ had found.  At least, that's how it felt to him.  That she was his, because he'd found her.

It was several minutes before the girls emerged from their room.  They were still talking in low voices that Mush couldn't hear over the low hum of the rest of the Lodging House.  It was almost like something was refraining him from hearing that conversation.

Finally, the girls approached Kloppman and Jill, _his Jill, pulled a rather shiny quarter from her pocket and placed it on the desk.  Racetrack was immediately over, peering at the coin.  Mush walked over as well, to look at the coin as well as to be closer to _her_.  Mush also realize that, internally at least, he was starting to sound like an obsessive stalker, and that wasn't a good thing._

The quarter, once he turned his attention to it, turned out to be rather interesting.  For one thing, it was too…new.  Too shiny.  And the design on it was different, it looked far too crisp.  The coin was soon flipped to the "tails" side, and that was really different.  There was no way this was a normal quarter.  Across the top it read "New York" and beneath that "1788" with stars rounding about half of the rim.  A relief of New York state and an over-image of Lady Liberty graced the coin, as well as the words "Gateway to Freedom."  The most unnerving thing to Mush, though, was the year at the bottom.  2001…

(1) In order to get this, all you need to do is go to and just look around.  Read the Strong Bad emails.  Probably the best part of the whole site. ^_^

**A/N:**  Well, here's part 3.  Yes, I was staring at a New York state quarter when I wrote that section.  This is the fastest I have ever gotten anything out, probably because I have 2 sisters and 2 friend nagging at me to write. -_-;;  They're my sounding boards, the people I run these wonderful ideas past before they even make it to the paper.  I 3 you guys!

**Disclaimer:**  Okay, this is the last disclaimer I'm posting, unless I get some cute ideas for a disclaimer. ^_^;;  I own the ladies, or rather, they own themselves.  The boys all belong to Disney.  I'm just playing with them for a bit; I'll put them back when I'm done. 

**Shout outs:**

**Sami:**  I'm glad you like this enough to keep reviewing!  You get the Most Consistent Reviewer Award! ^_^  Yes, we're an interesting bunch, aren't we?  You'll see a lot more of our odd hijinks to come in future chapters.

**Luna:**  Hi honey.  I was debating giving you a section here, but then I figured that Sami'd be lonely. ^_^;;  You probably won't even read this, because you'll make me read you the next part over the phone too. -_-


	4. shi

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Part 4

Ivy bit her lip when the silence grew. The boys were just examining the quarter that Big Jill had given them to pay for lodging… Her brows furrowed slightly as she wondered what was the matter. Then it hit her. The quarter! She didn't know what kind Big Jill had given them, but chances were it was one of those new state quarters, or something odd was on it. She started worrying, panicking in her mind as she ran through a million different scenarios.

She happened to be facing Racetrack and saw him look at them with wide eyes. "Is dis t'ing foah real?" he asked in a somewhat shaky voice. It immediately got the attention of everyone else in the room.

"Whaddya mean?" The question rose from several lips, not the least of which was Ivy's. Dear Lord, how were they going to explain this?

Race looked right at her. "Dis," he said, handing her the quarter. Mush stood behind him, in a sort of daze. Ivy took the coin and looked at it. Not only was the coin minted in 2001, but it was a New York quarter. Some god of irony was at work, that much was obvious.

"Shit," Ivy heard muttered in her ear. She turned to see her sister right behind her. She knew Jill would be kicking herself for letting this happen. Ivy turned back to Race.

"Yeah, it's real," she sighed. Those newsboys who had not seen the coin crowded about Ivy while Race and Mush were slowly backing away from the girls.

"Twenty-oh-one?!?"(1) The shout came from Jack, who was staring at the coin incredulously.

"Actually, we say it two-thousand-one," Ivy's sister said in an only somewhat meek voice that was just the tiniest bit condescending.

"Don't mattah! What mattahs is dat dis ain't gonna be minted for anuddah hundred an' one years!" That came from Snitch, of all people. Ivy could see that Jill looked a bit hurt. But Jill would know better than to let a guy's opinion matter, especially after what happened before.

Regardless, the newsboys were backing away from them. "Listen," Big Jill said, "we can explain."

"Kinda," came Luna's contribution. Ivy smiled a bit at the honesty. 

"Then explain." Cowboy's voice was chilly, and Ivy knew she did not like that tone. Before the others could speak, she started.

**************

Itey was trying to process the information Ivy had given them as fast as he could. It was almost unbelievable, what she'd said. These girls were from over a hundred years in the future! Itey wondered briefly what it was like, then figured it wasn't his problem. He, like the others, turned to Jack. Whether or not the girls stayed was all up to Jack at this point, though Itey found himself hoping they would be allowed to stay.

Jack was looking coolly at the girls, studying them. Shorthaired Jill seemed a bit depressed as she looked at the floor. Ivy was staring right back at Jack, as if daring him to tell her she was lying. Longhaired Jill was watching Jack, but also kept flicking her gaze to the sides, as if trying to regard the reactions of the other newsboys. Luna, or Katie, or whatever she was called, was leaning against the wall and looking at Ivy.

"Ya can stay heah tonight, but we'll see about tamarrah," came Jack's pronouncement. A general sigh of relief filled the room. Itey took the opportunity to approach the girls. He heard Ivy's sister answering some questions posed to her.

"Yes, I was really born in 1986," she said with a smile. "Yes, clothing really does change this much. You might even live to see it." She smiled and winked at the younger boys. Itey was about to ask Ivy a question when Kloppman declared bedtime.

"What are we gonna do tomorrow?" Luna asked. Jack grinned.

"We'se gonna see how you'se do as Newsies" he replied. The girls' eyes went wide, but that was all Itey could see before he was herded up the stairs to the main bunkroom.

**************

"Didja' hear that? Newsies!" Little Jill's excited whisper had its desired effect. The other girls came out of their shock. Luna blinked and, as the idea settled in her mind, she grinned maniacally.

"W00t!" she exclaimed. Little Jill laughed.

"Is this really real?" Big Jill asked. Ivy giggled.

"I sure hope so!" she exclaimed. By this time the girls had returned to their room. They shut the door carefully before falling to their bunks in a fit of giggles and laughter. Little Jill soon sobered, though.

"Hey guy?" she asked. "Do you think we'll ever get home?" At their stares she hurriedly continued, "I mean, not that I want to go back a whole lot right now, but still. It's the only home I've known."

Ivy sighed. "I know what you mean, but let's not think about that right now."

"We've been given a chance to escape that dull life. Let's take advantage of it while we can!" Big Jill seemed a bit too enthusiastic about this. Luna nodded her vehement agreement.

"As long as I'm not home, it's okay," she said. Little Jill was one of the few people who knew about her home life, and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Y'know," Little Jill said, "I feel almost like we should be here, but at the same time not." The girls nodded. "Anyway, let's get some sleep. These boys get up early, from what I know." Good nights were said, and the girls soon fell to sleep.

****************

Meanwhile, things were anything but calm in the boy's bunkroom. It would be a long time until the ruckus the girls' appearance caused would die down. This night, though, the bunkroom was abuzz with excited chatter. Jack, however, was still able to exert some control over the crowd with a raise hand for silence.

"Thoughts?" he asked. The room practically exploded with the noise of twenty-plus boys trying to talk at the same time. Again the raised hand brought silence. "Race?"

"I think we're nuts, personally, keeping them here," the young Italian said. "I like them though. They're unique, different, and pretty friendly."

Jack nodded in consent. Race's was an opinion he valued as the Italian was an excellent judge of character. As the Cowboy looked back out over the crowd of boys, he noticed that Snitch and Itey weren't there. He spotted the two friends over by their bunk talking softly. Jack, curious, dismissed the others for bed, hoping to at least get a few hours of sleep tonight and crossed the room to the pair.

"Whatcha' talkin' about?" the unofficial but universally acknowledged leader asked. Snitch and Itey both turned a bit red at the question.

"Da goils," Itey said quietly. Jack looked at him keenly.

"Dat Ivy goil?" he asked. Itey turned even redder. Jack smirked, having hit the nail on the head. He turned to Snitch. "And you?"

Snitch answered before Jack could guess. "'Er sistah, Jill." Jack's face took on a thoughtful look. He knew how painfully shy Itey was, though Snitch was a bit more relaxed around pretty girls. And these girls were certainly pretty, if not exotic in a sense. They were so different from normal girls.

"I'se was jus' wonderin, seein' as you'se two wasn't wit' the rest of us ovah dere," Jack said by way of explanation as he walked toward his own bunk. As Jack walked away, Snitch looked at Itey.

"Dat was odd," he said. Itey nodded in agreement. Snitch continued their conversation. "So, why her?"

"Well," said Itey, "I t'ink it's 'er poisonality. She's not like oddah goils."

"Yeah, but she seemed kinda scary when she was starin' down Jacky-boy."

Itey sighed. "I know. Dat's da only t'ing. She's kinda intimidatin' like dat."

Snitch clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, all I'se can say is good luck." The young thief left his best friend by their bunk as he went to get himself ready for bed. On the way to the washroom he passed Mush talking to Bumlets.

"Yeah," Mush was saying, "I'se okay wit' dem. Dey're kinda nice ta look at, and da one Jill, da one wit da long hair, is really funny."

Bumlets grinned. "Don' tell me you'se gonna start chasin' her," he said, even though he knew the answer. Mush got like this occasionally. He would start chasing after a pretty girl, and he usually ended up scaring them away.

Mush's face fell. "I don' know. I don' t'ink she'd like dat," he said. Bumlets was surprised by Mush's behavior. This was certainly not normal. It seemed like he was almost _serious_ about this girl. Bumlets was about to ask Mush if he really was serious about this when Kloppman shouted up the stairs for quiet. Instead, Bumlets said his goodnights and the bunkroom did indeed quiet down some, though the murmuring continued long into the night.

This is really how I think we should pronounce 2001, based on how we've pronounced previous years. Yes, I really am nuts like that. ****

A/N: Yay for Part Four! It's finally done, and they can stop bothering me about it. And maybe I'll finally have Heather off my back, considering what the next chapter is going to deal with. ^_^;; Many, many kudos to Ivy, Heather, Jill and Luna for letting me run my ideas past you guys, and the most thanks to Ivy for that talk over breakfast yesterday. It helped me so much with the last part of this chapter, as you saw. ^_^

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Shout Outs:

Y'know, this is getting smaller and smaller for every chapter. **pouts**

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Luna: I don't know that I should even write you a shout out, seeing as how you're sitting behind me as I type this, but you're not looking over so I can type what I want and you won't know! :p Anyway, thanks for the review!


	5. go

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Part 5

The next morning was interesting, to say the least. It seemed to Jack that these girls could at least survive for a while as Newsies. They were woken at the usual time with the boys and didn't really object to not being allowed in the washroom until the boys were done. Jack thought they seemed too tired to really care. Jack himself, however, was incredibly awake and prepared for his self-assigned mission.

As they were walking into the washroom, he pulled Race and Specs aside. "I want you'se two ta come wit' me ta Brooklyn. I'se needs ta talk ta Spot wit'out da goils knowin," he said quietly to them. They nodded and went to inform a few others about their impending trip. When that was done, the three newsboys not so much crept out as left quietly, moving swiftly in the direction of Brooklyn.

The trip did not take overly long, though it was no easy trek. When they arrived at the Brooklyn headquarters, however, things were not how they should have been. For one thing, the incredible shrieking coming from inside was certainly not normal. Nor was the sight of THE Spot Conlon yelling face to face with a girl.

Racetrack was feeling rather observant that day as he scrutinized the girl. She had just longer than shoulder length brown hair and was wearing a skin-hugging white, sleeveless shirt and dark green trousers that looked similar to Snitch's Jill's. The boys couldn't even hear what the argument was about, though they could make out that Spot was about ready to flip, and the girl's face was red from anger.

"Ehy, Spot!" Jack called, effectively breaking up the couple. Both looked at the approaching group, Spot with a look of relief and the girl with a glare.

"Ehy, Jacky-boy," Spot said as he approached and spit-shook with Jack. "What brings ya ovah heah?"

"Well, Spot, I'se was gonna ask ya foah some advice, but I'se sees ya got yoah own probl'ms." Spot laughed, and the girl's eyes hardened even more.

"Ain't dat da truth," the young leader of Brooklyn smirked. By this time the girl had also come closer. At the very least, she was close enough to thwap Spot on the back of the head.

"Ow! Wha' was dat foah?" he turned and yelled at her.

"For not introducing me, _and_ for insulting me," she said, her voice getting louder with each word. Before Spot could begin arguing again, Racetrack interrupted.

"Yeah, Spot, I'se beginnin' ta wonda when you'se gonna tell us who dis wondaful goil is," the young Italian said, smiling charmingly. Spot sighed, clearly showing his exasperation.

"Boys, dis is Heather. Heather, dese heah is Race, Jack, and Specs." Various "hellos" were said, and Spot didn't even say anything to Heather as he settled down to discuss business with Jack right there outside. She just settled in for listening and hoping to hear something good.

"So, Jacky-boy, what kinda problems you'se got?"

"Sumthin' like what you'se got."

Spot's only response was to raise an eyebrow. Jack turned to Heather.

"Wheah you'se from?"

Caught off guard, Heather paused for just a moment before answering, "Pittsburgh."

"You'se too, huh?" Racetrack grinned widely at Jack and at his nod, took over questioning Heather.

"Ya got any change on ya?"

Heather looked at him like he was just a bit crazy before digging into her pockets. She pulled out an incredibly shiny dime and handed it to Race. It was less new than the quarter the other girls had produced, and the year on the front read 1980.

"Ehy, Jack, lookit dis." Race passed him the dime. Jack took it and whistled softly.

"Nice year, I'd bet. 1980, that is." When Jack looked up at the girl, her eyes were wide in shock.

**************

"So ya want me ta believe dat she's from a hundr'd an…"

"Three, Spot. Hundred and three."

"A hundr'd and t'ree yeahs in da fuchah?"

"Yup. 'Fraid so." That was all Heather would say. Her eyes were slightly downcast as she realized that for all she knew, she was stranded here with no way home and no familiar faces. Specs, who was sitting next to her, noticed her downcast expression and gave her a sideways hug. She smiled her thanks to him.

Then something occurred to Heather. "Jack, you say you have a similar problem? Whadda ya mean by that?"

Here Jack grinned like the cat that ate the canary. "Well, ya see, we'se gots foah new goils in 'Hattan, and dey's a lot like you. Dey said dey're names is Jill, Ivy, Luna, an' Jill." The boys watched as Heather's face just lit up.

"They're here? Oh my God, they're here!" She jumped up and couldn't sit still, hugging all of the boys, even Spot.

"I take it ya know 'em?" Race's rhetorical question was met with the girl's laughter.

"You bet I do! Ivy and Jill are my cousins, and Luna and Jill are good friends. I can't believe they're here!" Heather seemed to be in a bit of ecstatic shock.

"Ehy, Spot, ya wanna arrange a meetin wit dese goils?" Jack suggestion was met with grins from all parties.

"Aw, Hell yeah!" Heather was practically bouncing off the proverbial walls with excitement.

"'Ow about tamarrah night at Medda's?" The suggestion came from Specs, who had been mostly quiet, and was immediately snatched up by the leaders. They arranged a time, and also that the other girls would arrive first, seeing as Spot and Heather had to make the trip from Brooklyn. The two groups parted on good terms, with promises to meet the next evening.

**********************

"Well, dat was soitenly interestin'." Racetrack's sardonic voice cut clearly through the air, even with the hustle and bustle of the early afternoon in New York, as the boys made their way home from Brooklyn.

"Yeah, shoah was," Jack replied.

"Ehy Jack, what's da current new wit' you an' Sarah?" Specs asked.

"Dere ain't no news wit' me an' Sarah no more."

"Whadda ya mean?"

"I mean we ain't tageddah anymoah."

"Well why not?"

"What do I gotta do, tell you'se me whole life story?"

"Yes." Two voices that time.

A sigh. "Aight. We realized dere wasn' anyt'ing dere no moah, and besides, Sarah'd found someone she liked bettah."

"Shoah. Dat's what dey all say."

"Yeah Jack, jus so long as ya don' t'ink its da end of da woild."

"I don'!"

"Hey, I already made my comments 'bout dat."

"T'anks foah da vote oh confidence dere Race."

"No prob Jack."

An even more exasperated sigh. By this time the boys were nearly home, and the voices from the Lodging House were just barely audible.

As they neared, two voices took up singing a song unknown to the newsboys. One voice was pretty and relatively in tune, and the other was a bit more than slightly off.

"_At first I was afraid, I was petrified_

Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side

But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong

And I grew strong, I learned how to get along!"

Specs, Race, and Jack exchanged some skeptical looks.

"_And now you're back from outer space_

I just walked in to find you here with that same look upon your face

I should have changed that stupid lock I should have made you leave your key

If I'd have known for just one second you'd be back to bother me!"

The singers, once the boys could see, were Luna and Jill-with-short-hair. The girls had arms around each other's shoulders and were singing quite loudly as they stood outside of the Lodging House. Ivy and the other Jill were sitting on the steps and laughing appreciatively at their friends' antics.

"_Go on now go! Walk out the door_

Just turn around now, you're not welcome anymore

Weren't you the one who tried to break me with goodbye

D'you think I'd crumble, d'you think I'd lay down and die?

Oh no not I! I will survive!

Oh as long as I know how to love I know I'll stay alive.

I've got all my life to live and I've got all my love to give

I will survive, I will survive, hey hey!"

Ivy and Jill had joined in the singing, and now all four girls had collapsed on the street, laughing and gasping for breath. Standing near them were Snitch and Itey, and Mush and Blink and Dutchy were over by the door.

Luna, even in her fit of hysterics, noticed Jack. She squealed a bit, jumped up and ran to Jack, glomping him. The Cowboy was almost knocked over by the force of the glomp, but managed to keep his footing. Barely.

The girl's sprint to Jack caused a few heads to turn, but other than some scattered hellos, nothing much else happened as Luna kept her death grip on the boy. Jill, the one with the short hair, smirked at the pair.

"You scared her when you disappeared this morning, Cowboy," she said, mischief glinting in her eyes. "Don't go doing this to her, or I might have to hurt you." Here the short blonde flexed her hands similarly to a cat's, making sure Jack saw her somewhat long and sharp fingernails. Jack gulped, thinking that perhaps those nails could do some decent damage when used properly.

"So, what's da news from Brooklyn?" Blink's question interrupted Jack's train of thought, thankfully. Maneuvering around Luna's arms, Jack turned to the pirate-look-alike.

"Well, we'se gots a meetin' wit' Spot tamarrah night at Medda's. He wants ta meet da goils." His announcement was met with mixed reactions. The other boys seemed excited to be going to Medda's, but the girls were a bit skeptical of the plans. They were having a small discussion apart from the boys (Luna had disengaged herself from Jack when he'd spoken to Blink) and seemed to be arguing about something. After a few minutes, they turned to Jack and Ivy spoke up.

"So, we gotta wear anything special to a Vaudeville show?"

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A/N: Whoo, this took a while to get out. It's also long than the past two chapters too. ^_^;; Maybe they'll stop pestering me for a bit and let me enjoy this nice break we're getting from school. My muses (aka friends and sisters) that is. This chapter finally introduced Heather, who has been bugging me almost since I began to put her in. Also some pluggage, go read my short "Friends in Low Places"! Please!!

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Shout-outs:

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Cynic: I'm just gonna call you this to save myself form typing. ^_^;; Thanks for the review, and I'll be reading A Break In Time as soon as I can get on a computer that works. ^_^

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Jaede Conlon: Thanks for getting in on that review with Cynic. I was hoping to hear more from you before this chapter went up (HINT HINT), but I guess I'll survive with half a review from you. ^_~

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Luna: Now, this one I didn't read to you over the phone. ^_~ And yes, your boy is producing some creepy similarities to Das Cowboy. ^_^;; Don't let him go easily hon.

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Lil' Rain Angel: Good to hear from you again! And yes, Snitch is the greatest. That's why I'm keeping him for myself in this. ^_~ I hope you keep reading this. ^_^

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Extra Disclaimer: "I Will Survive" belongs not to me. It belongs to some other nice people who will hopefully not hurt me for singing such an awesome song in this fic.


	6. roko

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Part 6

The place: Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House

The time: the morning following Jack & Co.'s visit to Brooklyn

The situation: waking up four cranky teenage girls who haven't changed clothes for two days straight, and have slept in these same clothes for the past two nights

Skittery had had his doubts about these girls in the House, but after seeing them sell the previous day, most of his doubts had vanished. They were actually pretty decent sellers. Not fantastic, but decent enough to survive. Add to that the fact that they were just hilarious when they wanted to be, and it was enough to lighten even _his_ spirits.

This morning, he listened as they tried to convince Jack to let them use the washroom. Skittery gave them credit for trying, but that washroom was male only in the mornings. There was just no other way about it.

It was obvious from the way they were grinning that some of the other boys had heard the "confrontation" as well. The most vocal participant was probably Ivy. This surprised none of them overly much. Ever since that first night, she seemed to have taken on the role of arguing for the girls against Jack, or whomever else stood in their way.

Skittery turned back to washing his face in the sink, ignoring the sounds form the doorway. As such, he was surprised when Luna and shorthaired Jill took up places on either side of him. "Wha' da Hell?" Jill nodded her head in the direction of the doorway, where jack and Ivy could still be heard arguing.

"We got tired of waiting for them to stop," Luna said matter-of-factly. The boys near them starting laughing as they went back to their morning routines.

The other Jill emerged from one of the toilets stretching. "Hey Jill," she called to her friend, "do you have anything that'll fit me? These jeans are a bitch to sleep in."

"I might, want me to go check now?"

"Could you? I'd love you forever."

"Of course hon! Just let me sneak back past Ivy and Jack and I'll get back to you on that." Ivy's sister then left the washroom. She returned a few minutes later with a pair of gray trousers that said Carlynton Track and Field on them. She threw them to the other Jill, who caught the sweatpants and yelled "Thanks!"

"They might be a little dirty from track practice."

They're better than these jeans."

"Okay. If that doesn't bother you then be my guest. Be. Our. Guest. Be our guest. Put our service to the test. Tie a napkin 'round your neck cherie as we provide the rest!"

Luna sighed and shook her head. "What did I tell you about singing Disney songs?"

"Ummm…"

"Never mind. You are a hopeless cause."

"I know!" Little Jill was grinning rather widely by now, and seemed more than a bit hyper.

Race looked between the two Jills and sighed. "Y'know, we need ta give one o' ya a nickname or somethin' so's we'se can tell ya apart." The washroom turned thoughtful.

Luna looked at her coworker. "I don't know if you want to be called Artemis here or if you want us to come up with a new name."

Little Jill grinned. "A new name, I think. Artemis is for camp, and online. I need something else. Jill, you don't mind if we give me the nickname, do you?"

"Oh no, you can take it. Though it would be kinda fun, you're more used to it."

The room was mostly silent as they tried to think of a name. Then a shout was heard from the girls' room.

"Jill! How many freaking books to you have in here??"

The sister of the one yelling smiled sheepishly. "Um, not enough?" she yelled back to Ivy.

Racetrack laughed. "Dat's it! We'll call ya Books! Makes sense, don't it?"

Ivy then walked into the washroom. Despite their searching looks, none of the boys could see Jack anywhere. Ivy noticed and grinned. "He's a bit…preoccupied boys," she said. "Hey Jill!"

Both Jills turned to look at her.

"My sister, I meant. How come Jill gets your sweatpants and I don't? Don't I deserve something for being related to you?"

"No. If you want something, you can go raid my bag for it."

"Okay then!" Ivy dashed out of the washroom. The newly christened Books shook her head.

"Sisters," she muttered. Jill and Luna laughed.

"Hey, at least I don't have to deal with mine here," Jill said.

"Me either," was Luna's reply.

Books turned to Jill. "Dude, you and Jaime would _kill_ each other!"

Jill laughed. "Yeah, we probably would." Ivy made her next entrance. There was still no sign on Jack.. The tiny blond held up a pair of pants.

"Race, can I wear these?" Racetrack almost choked when he saw that she had grabbed his smallest pair of pants that really didn't fit him anymore but he'd kept anyway. The other boys laughed at his expression.

"I guess so," he said, still a bit flustered that she'd gone through his clothes.

"Sweet!" Ivy disappeared into one of the toilet stalls to change her pants.

**************

Arrival at the Distribution Center was preceded by finding Jack nursing wounds in the corner of the bunkroom. Questions weren't asked, though answered were most definitely inferred. Davey was waiting for the group from the Lodging House, keeping a firm hold on Les until they were in sight. Once Les was let loose, he sprinted to the girls. Books picked him up and spun him around. Jack and Race proffered raised eyebrows while Specs just shrugged it off. Les always became a favorite of any girls in the group.

Upon lowering Les to the ground, Books approached David and gave him a hug and an overly cheery "Morning Dave!"

Davey grunted at the force of her hug. "Morning Jill."

"Nuh-uh," she said, waving a finger at him, "it's Books now." She winked behind her at the group.

Itey turned to Snitch. "She soah is actin it up, ain't she?" he muttered. Snitch was almost too busy glaring daggers at David to notice, but he did.

"So?" he asked defensivele.

"Nuttin, jus' t'inkin' mebe she should be on stage."

Snitch gave it some thought. "Mebe we'se can ask Medda tanight."

Meanwhile, the group had moved into the center and the Newsies were starting to get their papes. The girls each only took a dozen papers and stood to one side to look at the headlines and, more importantly, the articles themselves. Jill, scanning the paper, snorted in disgust.

"God, I could write better stories that this! Hell, I know I can!" The other girls nodded, knowing of Jill's massive collection of original and historical fiction that might never see the light of day outside her room, but was all excellently written.

"Do you really think so?" The voice from behind them scared the shit out of the girls. A middle-aged man in a black suit with white-ish hair stood there looking at them with interest.

"Yeah, I do." Jill's voice was a little shaky but confident. The man looked at her appraisingly.

"Very well," he said. "I'm Seitz, Mr. Pulitzer's assistant. I'm hiring you to write news stories for the _New York World_, starting today. We expect the articles in by midnight tonight." He handed her a card. "Use this to get paid for your work." Seitz waked into the _World_ building, leaving several stunned Newsies standing in the street.

"Okay then," Jill said in the stunned silence. "I need someone to walk with me back to the Lodging House so I can get my notebook and start reporting."

Mush stepped forward. "I'se'll go wit' ya," he said. Jill smiled as she looked into his brown eyes and started to blush a little.

That blush only deepened as Ivy called after them, "You two had better behave yourselves while we're not there!" Mush noticed her discomfort and hurried them along slightly faster. The pair walked in more-or-less silence each thinking their own thoughts.

The day before, Mush had sold with Ivy, and the pair had flirted outrageously throughout the day. It wasn't that either had any real interest in the other; they were just flirting for the fun of it, and both knew it. At the moment, however, Mush was noticing just how different Jill and Ivy were. Jill tended to be quiet, prefering to listen rather than talk, though she made some pretty funny jokes.

Jill, for her part, was wondering what the hell was exactly going on between Ivy and Mush. She believed that if Ivy were truly interested in Mush, she herself would back off. Not that she had very far to back off of, as she hadn't really staked any kind of claim on him…and wow, that sounded a bit obsessive. Jill shook her head, feeling her confidence rising as it always did around cute guys. That was definitely not good. Definitely not good.

They reached the Lodging House without any real incident. They could hear Kloppman upstairs somewhere and they proceeded to ignore him as they went to the girls' room. Jill went immediately to her bookbag, thanking whatever gods were listening that she'd kept her school stuff with her that day. She grabbed the notebook labeled _Meteorology/Science Trends_ out of her bag as well as her pencil(1) while Mush was standing somewhat awkwardly in the doorway. Jill stuck the pencil in the spiral binding of the notebook and shoved the notebook under her arm with her papes.

"Let's go sell," she said to Mush, and the pair headed out the door.

*********************

Meanwhile, Snitch had grabbed Books and they went to his normal selling spot. Snitch had discovered the previous day that Books was good with coming up with synonyms for the headlines, not that he knew what the word synonym meant. He just knew that Books was excellent for rewording headlines, and he took full advantage of it.

They laughed as they walked through New York. Even though it was her second day, Books was still a bit awed by the city.

"It's only my second time here _ever_," she protested when Snitch started laughing. "Last time the city was really different, seeing as how it was a hundred years in the future." That got Snitch wondering.

"What's it like, in da fuchur?"

Books' face became serious as she wondered just how much she should, or could, tell him. The layout of the city, she figured, shouldn't harm him too much.

"It's really, really crowded. New York's one of the most densely populated cities in the world, next to Tokyo I think. The buildings are huge, sometimes over a hundred stories tall. And it's a mess to get around in, especially as a visitor."

"Sounds intr'estin'," was all he'd say on the subject. Books raised an eyebrow in response, but Snitch didn't take the bait and instead turned his attention to selling papers. Books followed his lead, using her wide vocabulary to their mutual advantage.

****************

Luna had immediately latched on to Jack's arm and insisted on going selling with him. He sighed, realizing that there was no way out of it, and took her with David, Les, and himself. The group ended up near Irving Hall and decided to take a break and see Medda in order to forewarn her of the night's expectations.

Introductions went well, and upon hearing that the girls were staying at the Lodging House Medda insisted that they get themselves ready right at her place in the back. What sold Luna was the prospect of "shaking a tower"(2) as she put it, though most would call it "taking a shower." Luna thanked Medda profusely and promised to tell the other girls. When she brought appropriate clothing, Jack said he had it covered.

"Some o' me boys 'ave goils who woik da fact'ries an' are willin' ta loan you'se some clothes foah tanight."

*******************

Ivy, for once, was at a loss for what to do as she watched her friends and sister walk off. Making up her mind, however, she decided to spend the day with Race. What better payment, she thought, for loaning a pair of pants than for her to come and help him sell his papers.

Racetrack's opinion of the matter was one of indifference, though it soon changed to appreciation once they reached Sheepshead Bay. Ivy, it seemed, had a talent for drawing attention to herself, and Race leaped upon the opportunity. She was not only a good-looking girl, but a talented gymnast, and she played on that. By the time the day was through, she and Race had easily sold all of their papes and laughingly hitched a ride back to the city on the back of a carriage.

********************

They were supposed to meet Spot at seven-ish. That meant, of course that the girls had to leave by at least five-thirty if they all wanted to primp themselves. Specs, Dutchy, Skittery, and David were kind enough to ask the women in their lives to loan these strange young women some clothing for the night, and the clothes were accepted with much grace as they dashed out the door to Medda's.

Once there, Ivy, Jill, and Books were introduced to the Vaudeville star and she ushered them upstairs to the washroom. "Now," Medda explained, "there are two tubs with warm water waiting for you. I'll be up periodically to check on you, so be good."

It was decided that Ivy and Jill would have the first round of washing, and Books and Luna the second. They were left in peace until, while Books was bathing, Medda arrived to see how they were coming along. Books, it just happened, was a shower-singer.

"Goodness child!" Medda exclaimed. "Would you be willing to sing like that on stage? I'm always looking for new talent."

"I guess so…" Books was a little unsure about performing by herself, and the Swedish singer noticed.

"Is there anyone you'd want to perform with hon?"

A more than slightly evil glint entered her eyes. "My sister Ivy, if you don't mind. She's a pretty good singer too." Medda failed to notice the look in Books' eyes.

"Sure hon, if she's willing."

Ivy, it turned out, wasn't exactly thrilled, but she knew it was better than being a Newsie for a living. God only knew how long they were going to be in the past, so they might as well make the most of it. The sisters explained to Medda that they could both, in a way, dance, and that Ivy was a gymnast. Medda made them promise to stop sometime that week to work out a schedule, and then left them to the remainder of their preparations.(3)

******************

The boys, needless to say, were waiting anxiously inside Irving Hall for the girls to show. When they finally arrived, the boys were impressed. Not that the girls were dressed in anything extravagant, but just that they were dressed like…well, girls. Everyone took their seats at a circular table, Ivy between Mush and Itey, Jill between Mush and Blink, Luna between Jack and Race, and Books between Jack and Snitch, who was right next to Itey. Ivy, through some twist of fate, was sitting with her back to the entrance.

It was Books who voiced something that had been bothering the girls. "There're two extra seats here. I thought we were just meeting Spot?"

Jack grinned. "Spot's bringin' a guest of soits," he said nonchalantly. Jill looked at Books and shrugged.

"Okay, I guess."

Before long, Jack, sitting across from Ivy, noticed the door open and Spot Conlon enter. His guest, however, spotted the table first, and with a cry of "Ahvie!" threw herself at Ivy. The two girls were knocked to the floor with Ivy groaning and Heather giggling like a maniac.

"Oh God, not you too!" Ivy's moan caused Jill, Luna, and Books to break their astonished stares and burst into giggles, though Books' with a bit more condescending head shaking than one would have thought was necessary.

By this time Spot had reached them. "So, goil, whatcha' gotta hold ah heah?" he asked Heather, smirking.

Heather shot him a Look, but made the introductions. "This is my cousin Ivy, and that's my cousin Jill." She would have continued but was interrupted by Books.

"Hey, dorkface, it's Books now."

Heather groan and rolled her eyes. "I don't even want to know, though I could probably guess. Anyway, that's my friend Jill, and another friend Luna." Spot nodded his hellos as his eyes took in the unusual seating arrangements. It had just happened that he and Heather were to be situated between Race and Blink. He grabbed Heather's arm and moved around the table so as to sit her next to Race and himself next to Blink.

The conversation was lively throughout the small meal and the show. Heather was revealed to have "blond moments" more often than her blond cousins, causing Books to call her an idiot several times. This, in turn, caused Jill and Luna to start laughing. The girls, however, soon lost the boys as they started a conversation about school and other things from back home. The boys looked at each other, and then in unison slapped a hand over the nearest girl's mouth.

Two seconds later, Jack yelped in pain as Luna bit his hand. Hard. This caused everyone else to start chuckling, distracting the boys enough so that the girls could remove the offending hands. Conversation started back up, and Books brought up a point.

"I need to talk to Medda sometime this week," she said, taking a mental note. Snitch looked at her curiously.

"Why'se dat?" he asked. Books tried to act nonchalant, but it didn't quite work.

"'Cause she offered me and Ivy jobs." Several approving looks were sent their way. Heather pouted.

"Why don't I get a job?" she whined proficiently. This time it was Spot's turn to give her the Look.

"'Cahs you'se a Newsie wit me," he proclaimed almost regally. Ivy and Jill shared an amused look, wondering what the Hell Heather had gotten herself into with him.

It was not long after this that Medda herself visited the table. She greeted the boys with smiles and winks and the girls with hugs after being introduced to Heather. The festivities lasted for an awfully long time, and when Spot finally checked the time, he realized that it would be practically murder to try to make it back to Brooklyn.

"Ehy, Jack, ya got any extry beds at da House?" Jack looked up from his conversation with Race, who had switched seats with Luna.

"Yeah, why?"

"'Cahs we'se stayin heah tanight," came Spot's reply. The girls looked at each other and began, as a group, to grin maniacally. The party broke up and they made the dangerous trek back to the Lodging House. On the way they stopped by the _World_ building so that Jill could drop off her first assignment and receive her first payment. It totaled about two dollars, and the boys gave her slightly envious glares as they continued home. Kloppman was, surprisingly, waiting up for them, though most of the rest of the House was already I bed, if not asleep. He handed the girls some extra blankets and everyone disappeared to their respective rooms.

The girl's conversations lasted long into the night, and they laughed about things from home. They discussed definite fears, and thoughts on going home.

"I don't know if we will," Books voiced.

"I don't know if I want to," was Luna's opinion.

Heather's turn next. "How much time will have passed? I mean, we've already been here for about 3 days, has three days passed at home too?"

This caused some thought. Books voiced the Fushigi Yuugi theory, and this caused Ivy to wonder if they'd transfer between times at all. All in all, it was a night for thought, and by the time they fell asleep, their thoughts were heavy with speculation.

Jill always uses this _one_ mechanical pencil, and she's really anal retentive about it. Shaking a tower is camp slang for taking a shower. It's a sort-of code that we use frequently. ****

A/N: Well, I think that ended on a crappy note, but everyone else here is happy that this is so long. Which is also why this took so long to get out. ^_^;; Some other random notes here include Heather leaping on Ivy (they really do this at home) and Heather originally wanted me to give her a "Mary Poppins bag" in which she could stuff all sorts of things. That got shot down in the planning stages, though Heather gave me a really funny look when it did. ^_^ I'm such a mean younger sister. ^_~ The Fushigi Yuugi theory of time travel involves the fact that time moves differently in the two places, controlled by some outside force. Also, I'm trying to give all the girls equal time, and if it seems like I'm favoring anyone, tell me please!

****

Shout-outs:

Cynic: Glad you like it still! ^_^ You and Jaede crack me up with your joint reviews.

Jaede: Thanks for the encouragement! I luffle you muchly!

Dreamer: Yay for a new reviewer! To me at least. ^_^;; I'm so glad you like it, it really means a lot to me.

Lil Rain Angel: Oh yes, Snitch goodness must be preserved, and I fully intend on some of that goodness, though probably a bit angsty too. I have plans for that boy. ^_~ And yes, singing like that kicks much arse.

Review, I ask you!


	7. shichi

Part 7 

The third morning after the girls had arrived.  This time, however, there was one more female body to account for in the House, and that body was making itself known in a most interesting manner.  It had all started when Heather, having woken up a bit earlier, decided it was time to play The Game.

In order to understand The Game, one must understand the logic of Heather and Ivy.  Being cousins and living in the same town, they spent a lot of time together.  Books was also related, but they tended to leave her out of things because she usually didn't want to be involved.  As such, Heather and Ivy found it passed the time rather well if they started to annoy each other.  Usually one would be sitting around quietly, perfectly content in her task, while the other sneaked up on her and began to annoy her.  Nine times out of ten, they would end up rolling on the ground and pulling hair and yelling, but it was all in good fun.

As such, when Heather found that Ivy was still dozing in her bunk, The Game was initiated.

*********************

"HEATHER!  GET OFF OF ME!"

The screams coming from the lower floor made most of the boys pause in their morning routines.  Jack ignored it.  After the previous morning, he had given up all pretenses of having control over the girls.  Race turned to Books, who was standing at the sink beside him.

"Dey a'ight down dere?"

Books smirked and shrugged.  "If it gets any worse I'll see what I can do, but it's best to let them work it out themselves."  Her look turned thoughtful.  "I guess it was Heather's turn today then."

Several Newsies stared bug-eyed at her.  "Ya mean dey do dis often?" Bumlets asked.

Books shrugged.  "Yeah, at least once a week or so."  She receive some disbelieving looks.  "Hey, they're actually pretty funny when they do this.  They just roll around on the floor and one'll scream 'Stop!' and the other'll just giggle like a maniac.  It's pretty amusing."  She grinned, done with her "primping" and moved to watch the spectacle of her cousin and her sister in The Game.

Spot, being rather oblivious in the mornings, was mildly surprised by the event.  Heather, in the two days she'd been with him, had struck him as a relatively levelheaded girl.  To see her acting like this was a bit of an eye-opener.  He looked to Books and she shrugged, indicating that this was normal behavior and that it would probably be in his best interest to leave the scene of the crime. Spot nodded and walked briskly back into the bunkroom.

***********************

Soon after, life fell into a routine.  Everyone, minus Spot and Heather, who had gone back to Brooklyn, spent the night at the House, and went to their respective jobs in the morning.  If they could, most would meet before the afternoon edition was sold, and then meet back up in the evening at the House for some fun and games.  Life continued at this pace for about two weeks.

***********************

Racetrack Higgins was incredibly amused.  Just a moment before, Luna had been poking Skittery to see if he was ticklish.  Then Books and Ivy had joined them, and Luna switched her target to Books.  She poked Books in the side of her ribcage, causing the smaller girl to jump, make some kind of squealing yelp, and crouch to the ground.  Everyone standing in the square paused in what they were doing to look at her.

"Help?" came Books' feeble plea.  Luna laughed maniacally and charged her best friend, who cowered on the ground.

"Oh!  God, Luna, stop!  Please!  Please, oh god, stop!"  Her friend, who, almost sadistically, continued to tickle her, mostly ignored Books' shouting gasps.  Ivy stood by and watched.  She only got involved if Heather was there, and then only to annoy Heather.

Race mused on the differences in all of the girls.  Take, for instance, Jill.  The girl was an excellent writer, submitting her articles under the pen name Skye Feyden (when asked why, she just shrugged and said it had something to do with her, and something to do with the space-time continuum), but she was quiet as Hell around most of the guys.  With the other girls, she would begin to open up, but Race had found that she did best at one-to-one conversations.  In fact, all of the girls, except for Heather, had taken to confiding in him for a reason he couldn't fathom.  He had found, for instance, that Jill had a younger sister whom she really didn't get along with at all.  She was a big fan of football, though she favored the British teams (his Italian pride was a bit bruised at that), and she was an avid reader, though not so fast a one as Books.

Race tended to take everything the girls told him with a grain of salt, seeing as how he couldn't be expected to understand everything they talked about.  Often, though, they were able to get the point across by comparing it to something he knew.  There were a few things, however, he wouldn't touch with a sixty-foot pole.

Things like the reason Jill had just been grumpy all last week.  Everything was fine, except for her disposition.  Then came the day she'd used the toilet in the morning, and let out a growling scream of frustration five seconds after entering.  The male population had been entirely unsure what to do, so Books had taken over.

"Jill, honey?"

"WHAT."  Eyes widened universally at her tone.

"What's wrong, hon?"

"What do you think?"  Books could feel the sarcasm in her friend's voice.  "It fucking started."

Books thought for a moment, but then it clicked.  She winced in sympathy.  "Ouch.  Ya need any supplies?"

"Yeah, you got any?"

"I think so, lemme check."  Books raced downstairs to her room, and returned a minute later with some…things in her hands.  "Pad or tampon hon, I've got both."

Jill let out a sigh of relief.  "Pad, for now, I'll save the tampon for later."  Books obligingly tossed the little square of green[1] over the top of the toilet stall and then continued her own morning business.

When Jill exited the toilet she looked incredibly pissed off.  Ivy took one look at her friend and started giggling.  Jill glared at her and muttered, "Just you wait."

Soon after, Racetrack had discovered that during "her time of the month" Jill was a rather amusing, and somewhat frightening, person to be around.

*********************

"Jill, what's up?"

"Nothing.  Just thinking."

"'Bout what?"

"Stop using that sing-songy voice, 'Books'!"

"Okay, but seriously hon, what's on your mind?"

Jill gave her friend a look.  "You aren't going to tell anyone?"

Books held up her hands in a gesture of surrender and openness.  "Promise.  You know you can trust me.  And don't give me that look!"

Jill sighed.  "Mush."

"Huh?"

"That's what's on my mind, dumbass."

"Oh.  Well, what about him?"

Jill glared at Books.  "Like how hot he is, and how much I like him, and…GAAAH!"  Books started laughing.

"It's okay hon.  What makes you think he doesn't like you back?"

"Ivy, that whore."  Books laughed even more.

"You know, my sister isn't really a whore.  She's just…flirty."  It had long been a joke among their friends that Ivy had a secret life where she worked the corner nightly.  That had stemmed from a prediction in seventh grade that a then-Junior had made.  Said Junior had stated that Ivy would be a porn star, Heather would be a hardcore business woman, and Books would be a nun.  Fortunately, none of those predictions seemed to be coming true.

"Yeah, but…  I think she likes him too."

Books looked thoughtful.  "I don't think she does.  But you might want to talk to her about it.  She seems to me to be a bit more interested in someone else here."  Books winked at Jill, and the other girl laughed.

"Okay, will do."

*******************

So Jill talked to Ivy, and Ivy admitted she was just flirting and didn't really have an interest in Mush.  Ivy backed off in the flirting almost immediately and Mush approached her about it.

"Uh, the thing is, I'm not interested in you romantically, and it helps to not flirt so much…"  Ivy looked somewhat helpless as she tried to explain without giving away Jill's feelings on the matter.

"But I'se wasn' intr'sted in you'se eithah."

"I know Mush, but the thing is, I know someone who likes you, and she asked me not to flirt because it bothers her."

"Oh."  Mush thought about this for a moment, and his eyes widened.  "OH."  He mumbled a goodbye to Ivy and walked off in a bit of a daze.  Ivy shook her head and smiled, wondering what her friend was getting into.

*************************

Jack leaned in what he thought was a casual way (but really only made him look kind of conspicuous) against the wall outside the girls' room.  Their window was open (the weather had been getting steadily warmer), and two voices carried on the slight breeze.  Jack looked down the small alley to Kid Blink, who was keeping watch for him on this little eavesdropping venture.  Blink gave him a quick signal that meant everything was good, and then Jack ignored him, his attention focused on the voices coming through the window.

"He reminds me of Pete."  That was Luna's voice, with a definite growl attached to it.

"Ah.  So what was wrong with Pete again?"  And that was Books.  Did she always end up being the mediator in these things?

"He's a fucking player and an asshole."

"Oh yeah.  But Jack's a player?  I wasn't aware of that."  Insert widening eyes on the part of the eavesdropper.

"He sure acts like it."  Was it just him, or was that growl getting worse?

"Hon, I don't know what to tell you, except don't kill him.  We can't do that to these boys."

A loud sigh from the room.  "Fine, but if he tries to play me, I'll castrate him."

Jack gulped loudly and walked quickly but quietly back to Blink, and Blink, upon seeing Jack's expression, decided not to ask any questions as they left and didn't return to the Lodging House for another hour.

**[1]**  Yay for those lovely, large, Always Ultra pads.  The ones in the green wrappers. ^_^;;

**A/N:  **Yeah, I'm ending it there.  This is kind of a transitional chapter, and I needed to set a few things up.  I apologize profusely at the delay, but I was running on very little inspiration as of late.  Add that to the fact that I'm up at camp most of the time, and computer access is incredibly limited, and that means Arty doesn't get to type much. ^_^;;

I'm posting this bad boy before I head back up on Sunday, because then I'll be away from home until July 18.  It's crazy, but I love working up there, and I'm not the only fic author, nor am I the only Newsies fanatic.  I just hope someone brings up the VHS so we can watch those wonderfully hot boys. ^___________^

Shout-outs! 

**Sami:**  Yay!  You're back!  I'm glad you think it's real, I'm trying to keep it there.  Here's a bit of background for you, I'm working on some more.

**Dreamer:**  More descriptive, got it.  **checks off list**  Thanks for the review!

**Luna:**  Remind me again why I type you a shout-out?  I live with you, and yet… ^_^;;  Anyway, I'm trying, and you know that.

**Rain and Kelly:**  Yay, new reader!  I'm really happy you both like it.  I really do randomly break into song. ^_^;;  And much Snitch-love back at you! ^_~

**Kate:**  Your review cracked me up. ^_^  You hit the nail on the head on a few things, but when I showed it to Ivy, she laughed too.  Believe me, I'm taking into account getting the girls back home, and also the romance.  It's kind of rough, especially with everyone here yelling at me to write. ^_^;;  But it works out somehow.  I'm glad you took the chance to read this! ^_^

Reading and reviewing are not exactly necessary but kind of nice! ^_^;;


	8. hachi

Part 8 

"Guys, this is really starting to worry me."  Books' tone of voice caused the other three girls to stop what they were doing and look at her.

"What do you mean?" asked Luna.  She was lying on one of the beds in their room, staring out the window.

"I mean, we've been here for, what, almost a month, and it doesn't look like we're getting home anytime soon.  And also, doesn't it seem kind of suspicious that we all got our jobs rather easily?"  The small blonde stood with her hands in the air, gesturing as she talked.

Ivy's forehead wrinkled in thought.  "Yeah, it does seem kinds weird, but is there anything we can really do about it?"

Books sighed.  "I don't think so.  It bothers me though."  Jill looked up from the floor where she was writing.

"I know what you mean.  It's unsettling."  An almost ominous silence settled over the girls as they thought about someplace they hadn't for a little while: home.

**************

Stain was an old member of the Brooklyn Newsies.  He was there when Spot took power, and he helped in the Strike.  However, in all his years there, he'd never heard quite the racket as had inhabited the warehouse this past month.  That Heather girl was getting on Spot's last nerves, and while it was interesting to see his leader in such a fix, it wasn't boding well for the boys.  Spot being irritable meant they had to keep a decently wide berth of him.

Stain sighed and continued his selling, contemplating the recent changes in their lifestyle.

*****************

For the fifth time that morning, Books sneezed.  _Someone must be talking about me,_ she thought, then realized that the Japanese superstition was rather silly.  Still, she normally didn't sneeze this much, and she'd never had allergies.  She wiped her face on her shirtsleeve (borrowed from one of the guys) and set about helping Snitch sell his papes.

Snitch, meanwhile, had been keeping a close watch on her.  Books looked pretty awful, as if she were sick.  Her voice sounded thick, her face was paler than normal, and she kept sneezing.  He had a desperate urge to take her back to the Lodging House and put her to bed, but he knew she would never let herself.  She worked too hard.  Sighing, Snitch called out his headline, keeping an eye on his partner and friend.

*****************

Itey watched from the back of Irving Hall as Ivy performed a short dance number for the crowd.  He knew there was no way he'd ever have a chance with her.  She was so outgoing, and he preferred to stay in the background.  She was so talented, and he was a mere newsboy.  The frustration of it all nearly drove him crazy, though he held onto a calm exterior.

He was always watching her, whenever he could.  She was a thing of beauty, while he…he was an orphan, a nobody…  A hand touched his shoulder, bringing him out of his downward-spiraling thoughts.  He turned, and the subject of his thoughts was standing there, looking at him curiously.

"Itey, are you okay?  What are you doing here?"  He recovered from his shock enough to answer.

"Watchin' da show.  I'se foine, don' worry 'bout me."  He waved off her concern.

"You sure?"

"Yeah yeah, I'se foine.  I'se headin back ta da Lodgin' House, I'll see ya theah."  He walked out the doors of the theater before she could muster a response.  What he didn't see what Ivy staring almost longingly after him.  If only he knew…but he didn't, and from the looks of things, he would never gather enough courage to ask her.

****************

Jack gulped as he felt the burning stare on his back.  Ever since that night outside the girls' window, he'd been careful about what he did around Luna, but it wasn't helping.  She seemed almost determined to hate him.

However, whatever their feelings about each other, they made a good selling team.  Luna didn't have to fake the waddle in her stride, and if she emphasized it some, she was more likely to sell papes to the sympathetic older types.  She was hit on by the younger types, and that made her even more irritable.  She took it out on Jack, who, though he felt he was being treated unfairly, was wise enough not to bring it up with her.

Jack, meanwhile, found the good headlines and exploited them.  They ran a good business, that couldn't be denied, though the work relationship could have used a bit of tweaking.

******************

Jill sat in the park, trying to write her story for the next paper.  Mush was somewhere nearby, trying to sell the last of his papers.  Try as she might, Jill couldn't concentrate on her article.  Her thoughts kept slipping back to Mush.

Now that she'd talked Ivy out of flirting with the poor kid, she couldn't seem to muster the courage to talk to him herself.  A lot of their conversations could actually be qualified as "silences."  Both became very shy around the other, and the ground became a very popular place to look.

It was driving Jill nuts.  She knew she did better in one-on-one conversations than with groups, so this shouldn't be a problem, but it was. She sighed and resumed her writing just as said newsboy sat on the bench next to her.  While they didn't say much (read: anything at all), it was late when they returned to the Lodging House and they received some teasing about it.  The pair turned quite red, and as they parted ways, they could hear Books yelling.

"No!  I'm not sick!  No-  You-  Put me down!  I'm not going to bed right now, I'm not sick!  I-!"  There was a slight crashing noise, and Jill, Ivy, and Luna raced to their room in time to see Snitch lying on top of Books.  It looked as though he had been trying to force her to go to sleep but in the process had tripped over Books' bag and landed on top of her on her bed.  The three girls burst out laughing as Snitch and Books' faces burst into flaming red.

**A/N:**  God, Gryffin, I'm going to kill you.  For anyone interested, I wasn't planning on continuing this story.  I'm actually in the process of rewriting it completely, and with a whole new (and planned) storyline.  Then Gryffin, dear friend of mine that she is, comes along, reads it, and says I should keep writing it.  Also, Ivy and Luna have been bugging me to write this. _  I'm outnumbered here, and it's no fun.  Yes, I know it's short, but I'm not really in a writing mood, and yet I'm cranking this out…

Shout-outs! 

**Rain and Hail:**  Yay for the Fourth of July!  I wrote a cute little Fourth!fic, which I enjoyed immensely.  Thanks for reviewing guys, and sorry this took so long!

**Kristan:**  Sorry about not really reviewing your stuff hon.  And no, the insane!Spot story died in the planning, so it's not gonna happen.  Love ya, though!

**Dreamer:**  Thanks!  I know, and Jill really is amusingly angry during her time of the month.  Yes, Luna has actually threatened to castrate several guys I know, including the one that broke my heart.  I would take her seriously if I were Jack. ^_~  Thanks for the review!

**Gryffin:**  I really do hate you, you know that?  I mean, if it weren't for you, I'd have given up on this already.  But no, now I'm sitting here, writing this out just so you have something to check when you get back. _  I was actually, once I ended up selling the boys, planning on incorporating some staff into this, but now I don't know if I want to.  Just to be mean to you. ^_~  I'm thinking about it hon, really, though.  Love you too, and I'll send you a chocolate-covered Blink. 

Thanks for reading what is almost a dead story.  If you really want me to keep working on it, you might want to review. ^_^  No, it's not a threat, just a suggestion that I'm incredibly lazy. ^_^;;


	9. kyuu

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Part 9

"Uugggggghhhhhhhh…" The long, drawn out groan emanated from Books bed. The small blond herself was buried under her covers, trying to hide her eyes and ears from the sights and sounds of morning. She rolled over in an attempt to gain more sleep but that plan failed when Luna approached her bed.

"Wake up, honeeeeey," the almost maniacal strawberry-blond crooned into Books' ear. The covers flew from Books' face and she glared at her best friend.

"No, Luna. I feel like shit. Leave me alone." She closed her eyes once more, while Luna's were widening. She beckoned to Ivy. Ivy took a look at her sister and put her head in her hand.

"She's sick. She never gets sick. She doesn't know _how_ to be sick." Ivy began making her way to the washroom to tell the boys her sister wouldn't be selling today.

"Who's sick?" Jill's head pooped into the room, her hair scrunchie in her mouth and a brush in her hand.

"Books."

"What? She's never sick."

"I know. That's what Ivy said too."

"Well, shit."

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Snitch sold by himself for the first time since the girls had arrived. He was, he realized early on, rather lonely. Having Books there…well, he didn't know how to describe it. She was a welcome presence, a friend, almost a confidant, and yet, he felt there was something more. Selling by himself gave him more than enough time to think about it. Almost too much time, actually.

By the time his morning's papes were sold, he'd made up his mind about a few things. Now he just needed to figure out how to go through with them.

***********************

Luna, it seemed to Jack, was in a perpetually bad mood when she was near him. It also seemed that she had come to the same conclusion as he. "Why do I sell with you again?"

Jack shrugged in response to her growled question. "Don' know. Maybe ya jus' like hangin' aroun' wit' me." Luna's face broke into a slightly frightening grin.

"No, that can't be it," she said in an almost too-sweet voice. "Especially since I'm coming to HATE you." At the last few words, her voice dropped and she made as if to lunge for his throat (_or balls,_ he thought). She stopped herself, however. Luna turned and began walking briskly down the street in her hobbled way, as if she were trying to leave him behind. He ran and caught up, but she kept walking.

"Get away from me." Her voice was cold, and her eyes stared straight ahead as she continued down the street. Jack tried putting a hand on her arm to slow or stop her, but she shook him off brusquely. "I said leave me alone." Her tones were as forceful as her step to distance herself from him.

"Luna, wait-" he tried to plead, but his voice trailed off when she turned a corner and entered the Lodging House, nearly slamming the door behind her.

**********************

"Luna? What's wrong, honey?" Books, though bed-ridden for the day, was by this point lively enough to try to calm her best friend down.

"It's Jack." The older girl's voice was still hard, though not quite as cold as it had been.

"What's wrong with him now?" Luna turned her eyes to the floor of the room.

"I think I might be falling for him."

***********************

"Ehy, Itey, you'se okay up heah?"

"Yeah, Race, I'se foine." _'That's the same excuse I gave Ivy yesterday…'_

"Whatcha got on yer mind?" The shrewd Italian leaned against the edge of the rooftop, a cigarette in his hand. Itey sat, almost in a fetal position, against the wall next to him.

"Nuttin'. Jus' thinkin'." _'About Ivy, and how wonderful she is…and how I'll never, not in a million to one chance, get her attention as anything other than a friend.'_

"Well, you'se gotta be thinkin' 'bout somet'in. C'mon, you'se can trust me."

"I'se already tol' ya, it's nuttin'."

"Uh-huh." Race shot him a skeptical glance. "Now, do ya mean 'nuttin' as in 'everyt'in undah da sun' or as in 'one thing in partic'lar, but I'se ain't tellin you'se'?"

Itey's eyes widened. Since when had Racetrack become so knowledgeable?

"So, you'se gonna ansah me, or you'se just gonna sit dere all night?" Itey sighed, giving in to his friend's insistance.

"I'se been t'inkin' 'bout Ivy. I'se kinda like her." Racetrack nodded slowly, digesting the information.

"I'se'll talk ta da oddah goils an' see what I can find 'bout her." Itey looked at Race in puzzlement. Why-?

Race's voice interrupted him. "I ain't one ta leave a friend hanging. I'll help ya."

"T'anks Race. I'se owes ya." Racetrack grinned.

"I know."

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A/N: Ya know, I think I'm just gonna end it there tonight. I'm evil, aren't I? ^_~ Anyway, I can't believe this. I'm writing another chapter, and so soon. I have to be frickin nuts, especially because it's ten after midnight, I should have been in bed an hour ago, and I'm not even tired. _ Stupid internal clock. So, lots of Jack/Luna this chappy. I love those two, and Luna really does act like that when she's mad about something, or hurt, or upset. I should know, I've been on the receiving end several times. **winces** It ain't fun.

Oh yeah, last chapter was supposed to bring to light some things I realized while letting this sit for a while. I have a really bad…not plot, but plan…for this. It's awful, as I was rereading it. That's why I'm actually starting to rewrite this in a notebook, with several pages of planning. It'll be fun, and actually not related at all except for the pairings, really. Hmm… Tentative title is **Promises Aren't Necessary**.

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Shout-out!

Erisnymph: Thank you so much! You thought it was funny? I try my hardest, and I agree completely about the spelling and grammar schtuff. I have been around fanfiction for several years now before I came here, and I've seen some pretty awful stuff in other fandoms. It's really bad. However, I'm glad you like this! You're actually part of the reason this is updated so quickly. I can't disappoint the new fans now, can I? ^_~

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Luna: First off, hon, you spelled "impending" wrong. ^_^;; Sorry, just had to tell you. Hope you're happy with this chapter. I was writing it partly for you, you know. Just don't yell at me when I don't/can't tell you this is updated. ^_^;;

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Ivy: You little whore! You actually reviewed! I'm in shock. And don't tell me you're not, because we all know you are. You've seen the planning schtuff on **Promises**, you know what I mean. ^_~ Love you, big sis!

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Gryffin: I'm not sure whether I hate you or love you right now. It's a mix of both, I think. Shut up, I needed another Brooklynite, and the name just kind of fit, k? We'll see about the staff thing. I'm trying here, hon. Yay! **huggles Snitch-shaped sugar cookies** HEART YOU HON!

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Dreamer: Last one here, but the first one to review. Thanks so much for the support!

And now, since I love you all, good night. ^_^


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